Cover-preventing shield.



J. GRAUMANN.

COVER PREVENTING SHIELD.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. I. 1914.

Patented May 22, 1917.

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JOHN GRAUMANN, or GRANITE, OKLAHO A.

COVER-PREVENTIN G SIIYIIILLLD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 7, 1914. Seria1-1To.875,940.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JO N GRAUMANN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Granite, in the county of Greer and State of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cover-Preventing Shields, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to shields or aprons to be worn by male fowls or male live stock to prevent cover or copulation with the female during desired periods and it especially aims to provide a device of this nature that is adapted to be worn by cocks or roosters to preclude copulation with hens, as during the summer months, so that the eggs laid by the hens will be sterile.

It is a prime object of the invention to provide an article of this nature that may be readily and quickly attached to or detached from the fowl.

Another important object .is to provide harness means to suspend the apron from the fowl.

A further important object is to provide the apron with means to extend between the legs to prevent undue lateral movement of the apron.

Still another object is to provide a construction that is capable of manufacture at low cost and which will prove durable in use.

With a view to attaining the foregoing objects as well as additional objects, as will become apparent from the description hereinafter following taken in connection with accompanying drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment, the invention resides in certain novel features of construction,

combination and arrangement of parts.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a view showing a fowl harnessed with my improved shield.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the shield.

Fig. 3 is a detail cross sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view illustrating a specific form of knot that may be made when connecting the harness parts.

Referring specifically to the drawings, 1 designates a rectangular frame, preferably made of wire, across one face of which extends-an apron 2 preferably made of flexible material, for instance canvas, and whj'ch has its edges turned over the sides and bottom of the frame, as best seen in Fig. 2, and which edges are stitched beyond the sides and bottom to the remainder of the apron, as at 4. The apron extends above the top of the frame to provide a body engaging portion 5, the upper edge of which is concavely curved so as to extend partly around the body of the fowl. The sides and -upper edge of the portion 5 may be reinforced if desired, as by hemming the material, as shown at 6 and 7 Suitable harness is providedvto suspend the shield from the body of the fowl. As part of the harness I utilize the section 5 as part of a surcingle. The surcingle 1s completed by a flexible section 8. A second surcingle is employed which is designated v9 and it is to be noted that this surcingle is smaller in size than the surcingle 58. Connecting elements 10 are fastened at diametrically opposite points to the surcingle 9 and to the other surcingle at the junction of the sections 5 and 8. A connector section 11 is fastened to the surcingle 9 and this section 11 is tied around the top arm or strand of the frame 1. A stay section 12 may be provided which is preferably made of canvas or other fabric and triangular in shape, having one of its edges surrounding the top .arm or strand of the frame 1, and having the turned portion stitched to the remainder at 13, and having one of its corners fastened at 14 to the connector section 11 as by stitching. Shield 2 and section 12 cover the copulatory organ. The harness sections 8, 9, 10 and 11 are prcferably made of flexible material, for instance rope, and they are joined together by the tying of knots at 15, 16 and 17. Section 5 is also tied to sections 8 and 10 at knots 15. If desired, to make more secure joints at the knots, a metallic wire 18 may be tied around the knots and have its ends securely joined as by twisting together, as shown in Fig. 4.

In use, the surcingle 9 is placed over the head of the fowl and located or tied around the neck near the breast and surcingle 58 Patented May 22, 1917.

surcingle 9 as the body at the portion it surrounds is larger than the neck. Shield 2 is suspended directly behind and across the legs of the fowl. Connector l1 and stay section 12 extend between the legs and prevent undue lateral motion of the shield, and possible displacement to one side which would permit cover or action by the fowl, which this device precludes. As one side of the triangular section 12 is fastened to the frame, a broad portion of the section 12 extends between the legs and laterally on opposite sides of connector 11 to further guard against undue lateral movement of the shield. Connector 11 prevents undue forward and rearward movement of the shield.

In view of the fact that the harness sections are tied together, they can be readily untied so as to secure the sections at various adjustments according to the size of the fowl. It is especially to be noted that owing to the knot at 17, the connector 11 can be raised or swung forward to any desired extent to enable the apron to engage the legs to prevent forward swinging movement upon the connector 11 being properly untied and retied to the surcingle 9.

It is to be understood that inasmuch as I have shown only the preferred embodiment of my invention, that changes in the details of construction, arrangement and combination of the parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. In a copulation-preventing device, a frame, an apron secured thereto, a flexible surcingle section connected to the apron adjacent its top, a flexible surcingle, flexible sections connected to said surcingle and surcingle section and to said apron, a flexible section connected to said surcingle and to said frame, and flexible means extending laterally on opposite sides of the last mentioned flexible section being fastened thereto and to the frame.

2. In a copulation-preventing device for a fowl, a shield disposed relatively close to the legs intermediate the legs and the tail, harness means for the shield including a suspending device to engage the body intermediate the legs and tail and a suspending device to engage the body at the breast, a connector section connected to the second mentioned suspending device and extending from the shield, and a flexible section connected to the connector section and widening from the front toward the rear.

3. In a copulation-preventing device for a fowl, a surcingle to surround the tapering neck whereby the surcingle is anchored against undue movement toward the tail, a suspending member straddling the body and engaging the feathers intermediate the legs and the tail being prevented by the feathers from moving unduly toward the surcingle, an apron intermediate the legs and tail suspended by said member, and means connected to the surcingle to maintain said apron v relatively close to the legs.

4. In a copulation-preventing device for a fowl, a surcingle to surround the tapering neck whereby the surcingle is anchored against undue movement toward the tail, an

.feathers from moving unduly toward the surcingle, said suspending means mounting the apron a distance in the rear of the legs against movement toward the legs at the upper end of the apron but for movement toward the legs at the lower end of the apron, and means engaging the surcingle and apron to maintain the lower end of the apron in rear of and relatively close to the legs.

5. In a copulation-preventing device for a fowl, a surcingle to surround the tapering neck whereby the surcingle is anchored against undue movement toward the tail, an apron intermediate the legs and tail, a suspending member connected to the apron at its upper ends straddling the body and to- I gether with the upper ends of the apron engaging the feathers intermediate the legs and the tail and both the member and upper edge of the apron being prevented by the feathers from moving unduly toward the surcingle, said suspending means mounting the apron a distance in the rear of the legs against movement toward the legs and the upper end of the apron but for movement toward the legs at the lower end of the apron, and means engaging the surcingle and apron to maintain the lower end of the apron in rear of and relatively close to the legs and said means consisting of a connecting device disposed intermediate the legs and said connecting device being adjustable to control the position of the lower end of the apron relatively to the legs.

6. In a copulation-preventing device for a fowl, an apron, means to suspend and anchor said apron at a distance from and in the rear of the legs with the upper edge of the apron against movement toward the legs, said apron being flexible, and means operable to swing said apron from its upper edge as a fulcrum and maintain the lower portion relatively close to the legs and the upper portion relatively close to the body.

7. In a copulation-preventing device for a fowl, an apron, means to suspend and anchor said apron at a distance from and in the rear of the legs with the upper edge of the apron against movement toward the legs, said apron being flexible, a frame connected to the apron and rigidifying the lower portion thereof, and means connected to the frame operable to swing said apron from its upper edge as a fulcrum and maintain the lower portion relatively close to the legs and the portions above the frame relatively close to the body.

JOHN GRAUMAN N. Witnesses C. ALLEN McRAE, P. MANNING. 

